Hockey on the front page?

No matter your political bent, it sure was refreshing to see a “Hockey Mom” give this great game it’s due on the national stage in Minnesota.

Republican vice presidential candidate, Sarah Palin, got off a great line during her speech at the Republican National Convention. You’ve no doubt heard the joke, “What’s the difference between a hockey mom and a pit bull? Lipstick!”

Hey, I’vbeen around hockey moms and believe me, they are no one to trifle with as they watch little junior toodle around the ice.

If nothing else, the Alaskan governor got this paper to headline hockey on page one for the first time since, well, I can’t remember.

I can hear the gears grinding in the Rampage office. Palin, a self-proclaimed Moose hunter, could be a featured guest when Manitoba comes calling the first weekend of December. Should the Republicans lose the election, Palin should be available for a personal appearance. But if the GOP wins, the VP-elect may have other matters on her hands six weeks before moving into the White House, so maybe paper handouts, you know, with the VP’s profile on a stick or something, can be used to frighten the big, bad Moose back to Winnipeg, eh?

FATSO’S MEET AND GREET

The headline doesn’t indicate my presence at the meet and greet… it’s the name of the restaurant Greg Ireland and Ray Edwards will be hanging out in this coming Thursday. It’s a great chance for hockey fans to visit personally with the Rampage brain trust before they get sequestered and prepare for the upcoming season.

Last year, I can still remember coming away impressed with Ireland and his no nonsense style, even while he was enjoying himself mingling with fans. The winds of change were already on the radar that night and you can see from the results of last season’s playoff run that good things happened for the franchise for a change.

Looking forward to seeing GI and Ray again. See ya there!

ANOTHER GUY WITH AN EDGE IS BACK

Good to see Adam Keefe coming back to skate with the bull on his shirt again this season. There’s something about long hair and hockey muscle that just makes a guy more menacing. Keefe scared me, and that was just in the hall waiting to get on the ice for warmup. Intense? Is Mount Saint Helens a volcano? This guy is itching for combat. Wouldn’t surprise me if Keefe snarls at nuns.

Rampage fans really didn’t see what Keefe could do since he got into most of his trouble on enemy ice late in the season after a January deal with Grand Rapids. On the rare occasions he did take the AT&T Center ice, he was constantly on the lookout for a “dance partner” but rarely found takers. With Adam and new bruiser Frances Lessard around, there will be few opponents eager to take liberties with some of the smaller Rampage forwards.

ANOTHER WINNER JOINS THE ‘PAGE

Looks like last season’s formula of taking proven winners from around the AHL and depositing them in Rampage trousers is taking shape again. Say hello to Simon Ferguson, who has been helping the Portland Pirates be a fixture of the Calder Cup playoffs the last three seasons.

Last year, Joey Tenute and Matt Murley showed up with championships on their resume’s and the tenor of the locker room changed with these winning players, among others.

Guys with rings know how to win. Ferguson, if the pattern holds true, should be in for a career year should the Rampage continue to put teamwork first. The personal records will follow the team’s success.

COYOTES YOUNGSTERS COULD BE HEADED HERE

Although there is a chance Rampage playoff stars, rookies Chad Kolarik and Kevin Porter could find employment in the desert this fall, there is also the chance the dynamic duo from the University of Michigan could be Alamo City bound for some additional pro seasoning.

Nothing would be sweeter for both players, straight off the collegiate surface last year, to make their NHL debuts this year, but roster spots for forwards will be tough to come by in Phoenix, thus leaving a good possibility for Kolarik and the Hobey Baker Award winning Porter to make their mark with the Rampage. At least at the beginning of the season.

The 22-year old Kolarik scored four goals in the seven-game series loss to Toronto, three in one game, while Porter was on the other end of the score sheet with four assists.

The AHL prides itself on preparing young players for NHL careers. Should these guys skate on Rampage ice, you can almost bet you’ll be watching future impact players of the next level for San Antonio, so you might want to check them out in October because they may not last long at the AHL level.

ONE LAST THANG

Going over the CHL news and saw that the Colorado Eagles, once coached by former Iggy mentor, Chris Stewart who is now the team president, has a goaltender coach, Ryan Bach. Why bring up a career minor league net minder here?

Bach was involved in one of the coolest plays ever in the annals of San Antonio hockey. Bach played for the Houston Aeros and in a late season game in that lost second Dragon season, Bach decided to join the fray that erupted in front of him at the Freeman Coliseum. San Antonio’s diminutive backup goaltender, Sergei Zvyagin, (all 5-9 of him in skates) seeing that his rival masked man had left his crease, made a beeline for his 6-1 opponent at the other end of the rink. Seeing Sergei absolutely fly up ice and jump into harms way against a much bigger foe along the glass still brings a smile to my face!